Parent hanger and retaining screw arrangements



Oct. 27, 1970 J. L. HULL ETAL 3,536,342

PARENT HANGER AND RETAINING SCREW ARRANGEMENTS Filed Feb. 17, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS IJEH/v L. HUL 4 Ross? rl. Cfifl/A/ ATTORNEYS Oct. 27, 1970 3,536,342

PARENT HANGER AND RETAINING SCREW ARRANGEMENTS J. L. HULL ET AL 2 Sheets-Sheet z Filed Feb. 17, 1969 & INVENTORS F0555;- BY [WW/v M ATTORNEYS llllw United States Patent 3,536,342 PARENT HANGER AND RETAINING SCREW ARRANGEMENTS John L. Hull, Robert L. Crain, and Erwin F. Hill, Houston, Tex., assignors to Gray Tool Company, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Filed Feb. 17, 1969, Ser. No. 799,800 Int. Cl. F161 35/00 US. Cl. 285-27 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The parent hanger includes a depending leg having a vertical slot which is closed at both the top and the bottom. One portion of the leg is of lesser thickness than another angularly adjacent portion so that a radially extending vertical stop shoulder is formed on the radially outer side of the leg in line with one side of the slot. Before the parent hanger has been seated in a head, a radially directed retainer screw mounted on the head is run in until it projects somewhat into the bore of the head. Then the hanger is run in and seated. If the hanger has the desired angular position relative to the head, the screw may be run in further until it projects through the slot. If the desired angular position has not been achieved, the screw will lie radially adjacent the thinner part of the leg. In the latter instance, the hanger is then manually rotated angularly until the screw abuts the shoulder, preventing further rotation. Since the position of the shoulder relative to the slot is known, and in a preferred construction is coincident with one side'of the slot, the hanger will be in position then, so that the screw can be projected through the slot to prevent rotation and restrict vertical movement of the hanger.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Multiple completions of petroleum wells may be classified in several ways. One of these is to draw a distinction between producing from plural zones using concentric tubing (or casing in the instance of tubing-less completions) and producing from parallel tubing strings hung side by side in the well. Examples of concentric completions are shown in the United States patent of Pierce 3,248,132, issued Apr. 26, 1966 and on page 1091 of the Composite Catalog of Oil Field Equipment and Services, 1968-69 edition, Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas. Examples of side-by-side, parallel, multiple completions are shown in the following US. patents: Watts et al., 3,001,803, issued Sept. 26, 1961; Watts et al., 3,052,- 301, issued Sept. 4, 1962; Watts et al., 3,080,181, issued Mar. 5, 1963; Watts et al., 3,118,690, issued Jan. 21, 1964; Crain et al., 3,265,409, issued Aug. 9, 1966; Pierce, 3,341,- 227, issued Sept. 12, 1967; and Pierce 3,405,956,'issued Oct. 15, 1968 and on pages 2126 and 2131-2133 of the aforementioned 1968-69 Composite Catalog.

Often in side-by-side completions a parent tubing hanger is mounted in the tubing head (or in the head in the instances where multiple-bowl unitary heads are used). The parent hanger (or a functional and structural equivalent thereof and intended herein to be encompassed by the term) is provided with a plurality (for instance two or three) of laterally spaced vertical bores. In some instances, these bores are tapered downwardly and are each thereby adapted to directly support a tubing string via an enlarged collar mounted on or interposed in each tubing. string. In other instances, the enlarged collars rest on the upper surface of the parent hanger peripherally of the openings therethrough which, in such instances, need not taper or otherwise have seats formed within them. In yet other instances, intermediate tubular units such as collets "ice and/or individual hangers are interposed between the bores of the parent hanger and the enlarged collars of the casing strings. A parent hanger, two individual hangers and two tubing string enlarged collars are shown in exploded relationship in FIG. 3 of the aforementioned US. patent of Watts et al., 3,118,690. A parent hanger/collets/ enlarged collars assembly is shown in the aforementioned US. patent of Grain et a1. 3,265,409, for instance at 37, 54, 56, 50, 52. in the figures thereof.

Whichever way parallel strings are hung, the completion of the well will involve mounting some flow control structures such as a top, a cap, a valve block, a bonnet Ts (or a multiple completion T) upon the head. These structures have bores which must be linked up with corresponding bores of the tubing strings. Often the tubing strings, or extensions thereof protrude above the upper flange of the tubing head, to be received in the respective lower ends of the bores of flow control structures.

Three basic systems are in common use for attachment of flow control structures on top of heads. All involve providing corresponding annular flanges on the bottom of the structure to be mounted and the top of the head. In one system, as illustrated on page 2126 of the aforementioned 1968-69 Composite Catalog, a sealing ring is received between the flanges and a clamp circumferentially received about the flanges to hold the connection tightly together. (The sealed connection is further illustrated on page 2141 of the aforementioned 1968-69 Composite Catalog.) In a second system, as illustrated on page 2131 of the aforementioned 1968-69 Composite Catalog bolt holes are provided through one of the flanges and the other flange, provided with corresponding bolt holes, is rotatably mounted on the other element.

In either of the two systems described so far, angular alignment of the bores of the tubing mounted in the head with the bores of the flow control structure is easy to achieve, since, as the flow control structure is lowered into place, it need only be rotated until its bores are in line with the tubing bores, then seated and the connection made. In the second system, the movable flange ring is merely rotated until its bolt holes lie in vertical alignment with those of the other flange; then the bolts are installed.

In the third system, as exemplified on page 2132 of the aforementioned 1968-69 Composite Catalog, the bolt receiving flanges are integrally formed on the parts. Accordingly, if the bolt holes in the upper and lower flanges are to be sure to match, the parent hanger must be mounted in the head at a fixed, known angular relationship thereto. This relationship will fix the angular relation of the flow control structure bores to the tubing bores and thus the relation of the two bolt flanges to one another.

At times it is also desirable to mount the parent hanger at a fixed, known angular relationship with respect to the head in even the first two mentioned systems, for instance in order to achieve desired orientation of small Christmas tree elements with elements lower on the well head.

Although others have proposed and provided ways and means for aligning or orienting parallel multiple completion parent hangers with heads, the expense, unavailability of many of these or their inadaptability to a broad range of the varying types of parallel multi le completions as outlined above has created a heretofore unfulfilled need for inexpensive, widely adaptable alignment ways and means which it is believed may be met by the invention disclosed herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed 3 herein, the parent hanger, on its external periphery is provided with at least one vertically elongated, peripherally completed slot. The radially outer face of the parent hanger is distinctly recessed in an area adjacent one side of the slot, thereby defining a stop shoulder where the areas of different thickness meet.

The head is provided with a conventional radially inwardly extending alignment screw. When the time comes to seat the parent hanger, the alignment screw is turned in until its inner end (nose) protrudes a short distance into the throughbore of the head. The parent hanger is lowered into the head throughbore at approximately the desired angular relationship with the head. Upon initially seating, if not exactly in line, the parent hanger is manually rotated. The alignment pin acts as a fixed reference point toward which the stop surface is manually moved, i.e., as a movable reference surface, until alignment is achieved, alignment screw may then be turned in further, entering the slot and thus locking the hanger in place in the head.

By preference, two such arrangements are provided in diametrically opposed relation on the hanger and head.

It should be understood that there is a distinct difference in the art between hanger orienting systems, in which means cam the hanger toward a desired angular orientation as the hanger is lowered, and hanger aligning systems, for which the present invention constitutes an improvernent, in which angular relationship is established manually, with reference to fixed and movable points and surfaces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The principles of the invention will be further hereinafter discussed with reference to the drawings wherein a preferred embodiment is shown. The specifics illustrated in the drawing are intended to exemplify, rather than limit, aspects of the invention as defined in the claims.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the parent hanger;

FIGS. 2-6 show progressive stages of a typical positioning of the parent hanger of FIG. 1 in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the parent hanger of FIG. 1 having been lowered into the bore of a head, shown fragmentarily, the hanger being about 10 degrees from a correct angular position with respect to the head;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the parent hanger positioned as in FIG. 2, showing in dashed lines the relation of the screw to the nearer hanger skirt slot;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view, similar to FIG. 2, of the parent hanger after manual rotation thereof into alignment with the retainer screw of the head;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the parent hanger positioned as in FIG. 4, showing in dashed lines the relation of the screw to the nearer hanger skirt slot;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view, similar to FIG. 4, of the parent hanger after being properly positioned in the head, the screw having been run into the nearer skirt slot in order to prevent rotation and restrict vertical movement of the parent hanger with respect to the head;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention described herein with reference to the drawing, should be understood as having broad applicability to parallel, side-by-side completions, such as those, but not limited to those, which are described in the abovementioned patents and literature pages relating to such completions. For conciseness, only so much of a head (unitary, compact or tubing) as is necessary to a full understanding of the principles of the invention has been shown in the drawing.

A conventional apparatus context for the particular embodiment shown in the drawings, may be seen in FIG. 67 on page 2132 of the aforementioned 1968-69 Composite Catalog and is additionally referred to in the Gray Tool Company section thereof, beginning at page 2101 as type AD equipment.

A tubing setting using the equipment of FIGS. 1-6 may be accomplished working through blowout preventers which have been assembled on the tubing head at the time the well casing was set. As a first assembly, there may be run into the well a first string of tubing 28a carrying a locator tubing seal assembly and dual packer.

When the locator tubing seal reaches the lower packer, the desired amount of weight is applied and the packer tested by pumping through the tubing. The first string is then spaced out so that the tubing hanger will be at the seated position and the correct weight left on the lower packer. After spacing out, the parent tubing hanger 10 is passed over the first string of tubing and lowered to its seat in the tubing head by means of eg a piece of /2 inch pipe screwed into one of the upwardly opening sockets 12 of the parent tubing hanger. The /2 inch pipe may then be backed out and the individual tubing hanger a, lowered to its seat 32a in the parent tubing hanger 10, for instance using a landing sub removably screwed to the individual tubing hanger back pressure valve portion.

In the lowered condition, the parent hanger 10 may be several degrees angularly displaced from its desired angular relationship with the tubing head. According to the principles of the present invention, the desired alignment has been provided through the use of depending skirts 14 on the hanger, provided with radially outwardly facing slots 16. The skirts are thicker, radially outwardly on one side 18, angularly of the slots than other 20, to define a radially directed stop shoulder 22 coincident with the side of the slot where the skirt is thicker. Thus, with the screws 24 of the head turned in so they protrude into the head bore slightly, the parent hanger is lowered as aforementioned until the lower edge 26 of the skirt passes below the level of the screws 24 (FIGS. 2 and 3). The hanger is then rotated, manually, until the stop surfaces 22 abut the pins or screws 24 (FIGS. 4 and 5). Then the pins are turned in further so they enter the slots and lock the hanger in place.

Leverage upon the /2 inch pipe, before it is removed and/or the first tubing string landing sub, before it is removed, may be used to effect the rotation of the parent hanger.

After the first tubing string has been run, the parent tubing hanger aligned and secured, a second tubing string 28b is shown being run. The second string lower end may carry a conventional latch-type seal assembly which, upon reaching bottom, will catch and the packer set.

At the stage depicted in FIG. 1, the second tubing string 28b is being landed with an individual tubing hanger 30b thereon. A pack-off assembly 38 carrying seals which will seal with the tubing head and the individual tubing hangers, is shown being carried down on the individual tubing hanger 30b. Its opening 40 will fit over the tubing hanger 30a and the cones 42 on the upper ends of the enlarged hangers 30a, 30b will seal with complementarily flared bores in the tubing head bonnet, later installed.

The arrangement just described is advantageous, since sealing does not have to be accomplished between the parent hanger and the tubing head (or .unitary, compact head) bore, which may well have become damaged or caked with drilling mud or the like.

The principles of the invention will be further exempli' fied with reference to FIGS. 26, discussion one of the two identical skirt/retainer screw arrangements, diametrically opposed, since they may be used alternatively or, at least, only one skirt need have the stop shoulder. (When the skirt slot becomes aligned with its respective screw, the other skirt slot would also be aligned with its screw. However, making both the skirts with stop shoulders makes the system easier to install by persons of average abilities.)

At the sage depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, the parent hanger 10 has been seated in the head 50 using the rod (lift joint) 15. As shown, the hanger is about 10 degrees counterclockwise from its desired angular alignment with respect to the head. (As should become apparent, the personnel need not have been even so accurate, since the alignment procedure described can be satisfactorily performed even if the hanger is initially 90 degrees or more angularly counterclockwise of its desired position.)

Prior to lowering of the parent hanger to its seat in the head, the hanger retaining screw 24 has been run in about two turns, so that it projects slightly into the bore of the tubing head 50. Slightly in this instance means farther in, radially, than the radially outer extent of the stop shoulder 22, but not quite so far in, radially, as to interferingly engage the outer surface 52 of the thinner side 20 of the skirt.

Between the stage depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the stage depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5, the hanger 10 has been manually rotated clockwise, using the rod 15, until the stop shoulder 22 has engaged the nose of the retainer screw 24. The stop shoulder 22 is coplanar with the vertical right edge 56 of the slot 16.

Between the stage depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5 and the stage depicted in FIGS. 6 and l, the screw 24 has been run in a few more turns so that it projects into the slot 16 thereby retaining the hanger positioned as shown.

The hanger 10 is relatively light in weight and can be cast to shape, thus reducing the need for machining and resulting in a more economically produced structure.

It should now be apparent that the parent hanger and retaining screw arrangements as described hereinabove possesses each of the attributes set forth in the specification under the heading Summary of the Invention hereinbefore. Because the parent hanger and retaining screw arrangements of the invention can be modified to some extent without departing from the principles of the invention as they have been outlined and explained in this specification, the present invention should be understood as encompassing all such modifications as are within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in completing a petroleum well with parallel side-by-side tubing strings: a parent hanger having an external peripheral portion; means defining a radially outwardly opening peripherally completed slot in said external peripheral portion, said slot being adapted to receive a retainer screw from radially outwardly thereof and having at least one substantially vertical side segment; means defining a substantially vertical stop shoulder on said external peripheral portion, extending radially outwardly therefrom in a plane common with that of said slot vertical side segment; said external peripheral portion on the side of said slot opposite said stop shoulder, being of substantially lesser outward radial extent, at the level of said slot, than said stop shoulder, whereby said parent hanger may be seated in the bore of a head having an inwardly protruding retainer screw and manually rotated angularly of the head until the protruding retainer screw is engaged by said stop shoulder.

2. The parent hanger of claim 1 further comprising an arcuately extending, depending skirt integral therewith; said external peripheral portion being defined on said arcuately extending, depending skirt; said stop shoulder extending upon substantially the entire height of the skirt, including below said slot.

3. Apparatus for completing a petroleum well with side-by-side tubing strings, including: a tubing head having means defining a throughbore; means defining a seat in said bore adapted to receive and support a tubing parent hanger; means defining an opening radially through said tubing head and communicating with said throughbore below said seat; a retainer screw mounted in said opening for radial movement therein including projection of the inner end thereof into said throughbore; a parent hanger having an external peripheral portion; means defining a radially outwardly opening peripherally completed slot in said external peripheral portion, said slot being adapted to receive a retainer screw from radially outwardly thereof and having at least one substantially vertical side segment; means defining a substantially vertical stop shoulder on said external peripheral portion, extending radially outwardly therefrom in a plane com mom with that of said slot vertical side segment; said external peripheral portion on the side of said slot opposite said stop shoulder, being of substantially lesser outward radial extent, at the level of said slot, than said stop shoulder, whereby upon seating of said parent hanger upon said seat in said tubing head throughbore and with said retainer screw inner end protruding slightly into said bore, the parent hanger may be manually rotated angularly of the tubing head until the retainer screw protruding inner end is engaged by said stop shoulder at the instant when the retainer screw is poised for projection into said slot.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising: an arcuately extending, depending skirt integral therewith; said external peripheral portion being defined on said arcuately extending, depending skirt; said stop shoulder extending upon substantially the entire height of the skirt, including below said slot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,080,181 3/1963 Watts et a1. 285137 3,190,354 6/1965 Stone 166-89 X 3,265,409 8/1966 Crain et a1. 28527 3,347,575 10/1967 Morris 285303 X FOREIGN PATENTS 910,574 11/1962 Great Britain.

DAVE W. AROLA, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 16689; 285137 

